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Necroworm
Tiny Magical Beast Hit Dice: 1d10 HD (6 hp) Initiative: +3 Speed: 20 ft. land (4 squares), 5 ft. burrow (1 square) Armor Class: 13 (+1 dexterity, +2 size modifier), 13 touch, 12 flat-footed Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+0 Attack: +1 Bite 1d3-3 Full Attack: +1 Bite 1d3-3 Space/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft. Special Attacks: Attach Special Qualities: Reanimate, infest, telepathic bond, blindsight, magical beast traits Saves: Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +2 Abilities: Str 5, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 7 Skills: Climb -1, Jump -1, Knowledge (local) 3, Knowledge (arcana) 3, Listen 3, Move Silently 4, Sense Motive 2, Spot 2 Feats: Lightning Reflexes Environment: Underground Organization: Solitary, pair, or cluster (2-6) CR: 1 Squirming along the floor is a brightly colored purplish worm, covered in a thick coating of red and pink bits of a dead human. It’s six irridescent eyes gleam in the darkness, and it’s triangular maw fumbles about a bit of food. Necroworms are a bizarre magical beast of unknown origins. Some scholars believe they may have come from another plane of existance, though which is unknown. They are vile, and little known creatures, sharing traits with both ordinary parasites and predators. Necroworm hives are the stuff of legends. Though theoretically possible, they have never been encountered by anyone whose word is worth something. Necroworms are encountered, if in numbers at all, in clusters. Necroworms feed by consuming flesh and tissue. They generally leave their host to perform this task, though some more careful or paranoid necroworms may choose to remain inside the host, instead burrowing a way from the mouth through to where the brain used to be, consuming food in a manner which visually resembles the host eating it. Combat: A necroworm generally begins combat within the form of a humanoid zombie brought to life with it’s Reanimate ability. Once this host zombie is slain, the necroworm generally remains within the head until it believes all hostiles are gone, whereupon it will exit and find a new host. If the necroworm is encountered outside of a host, it will attack wildly, attempting to make a grab maneuver on a foe. If this succeeeds, it will bite down until the target dies, then attempt to scurry into the brain. This process often takes a while, and a necroworm may die before completing it. If encountered in a cluster, outside of a body, then necroworms will all proceed to attempt to attach themselves to one hostile. Once the hostile is dead, they will move on to the next, and one will reanimate the corpse and use it to attack the enemies. Attach (Ex): If a necroworm hits with a bite attack, it uses it’s triangular to latch onto the opponent’s body. An attached necroworm is effectively grappling its prey. The necroworm loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 12, but holds on with great tenacity. Bite damage, as opposed to that of an unarmed strike, is dealt. An attached necroworm can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached necroworm through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the necroworm. Reanimate (Sp): The necroworm can bring it’s deceased host back to life as a zombie, as the spell animate dead. However, unlike the spell, the necroworm must remain in contact with the host for the duration of the effect. It can only animate one body at a time, and must abandon it’s current body in order to use the ability again. To use this ability, the necroworm must first burrow into the skull of it’s host. If the necroworm has taken class levels which enable it to cast spells which create undead, the necroworm may cause the deceased to rise as an undead of any of the types it is able to create. The necroworm’s host is considered to be in constant contact with the necroworm, and may receive instructions all the time. The necroworm is capable of speaking through the body, assuming it has yet to rot to that point. Otherwise, the body is an ordinary zombie. Infest (Ex): Once it’s foe is dead, the necroworm may begin to burrow into it’s skull. This takes a full round action, and upon completion, it may use it’s Reanimate ability. Telepathic Bond (Sp): The necroworm forms a permanent telepathic bond with both it’s mate and any members of it’s cluster. This ability can only be used on fellow necroworms and does not use experience. It can only be used after a long period of exposure and mutual comfort. A necroworm may form only seven such telepathic bonds. Bonds with other necroworms are considered a mutual loss of a bond. Bonds may be severed at any time. A cluster is similar to, but distinct from, an pack of ordinary predators. Firstly, there is no alpha leader - the pack is unified though the general instincts of unity amongst them. Secondly, there is a very deep loyalty to other members of the pack. Clusters reach a “critical mass”, so to speak, at seven members. At this point, bickering surely begins to break down the cluster and loyalty is surely suspect. Magical Beast Traits: The necroworm lacks the darkvision and lowlight vision traits normally seen by magical beasts. Necroworms as Characters Necroworms are intelligent, so they are fully capable of taking class levels. This does not mean most do, but the occasional necroworm does so. Such necroworms are generally necromancers or rogues. Less common class choices are fighters, experts and wizards. If you own or use the Psionics book, then they may be psions or wilders. Necroworm characters have the following racial traits: - Tiny size - +4 Dexterity, -6 Strength, +4 Int, +2 Wis, -4 Cha - Base land speed of twenty feet, can burrow through dirt at a rate of five feet. - Special Attacks (see above): Attach - Special Qualities (see above): Infest, reanimate, telepathic bond, blindsight, magical beast traits - Languages: None - necroworms communicate via their telepathic bonds or not at all. - Favored Class: Wizard - Level Adjustment: +2 Category:Magical beasts